Women's Soccer

Ball State Keep Championship Hopes Alive With Late Goal In Win Over Huskies

Thursday’s MAC Women’s Soccer Results
Ball State 1, Northern Illinois 0
Western Michigan 2, Central Michigan 1
Ohio 1, Kent State 0
Buffalo 3, Akron 2
 
Story courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
 
Ball State 1, Northern Illinois 0
Box Score
 
DEKALB, Ill. -- The Ball State soccer team's championship hopes were hanging in the balance.
 
The Cardinals were locked in a scoreless battle through 83 minutes Thursday afternoon at Northern Illinois. A tie would do them no good on this day. They needed a win and the three points to stay in the race.
 
It had been nearly two games worth of frustration. Shut out four days earlier at Western Michigan and still hunting a goal in this one despite generating chances throughout both games. Ten corner kicks without a goal at WMU and nine without a score in this one.
 
The 10th corner this time would be different. With the clock ticking into the 84th minute, a breakthrough when BSU needed it most.
 
Tatiana Mason sent the kick toward Grace Alsop who got her head on it, driving it into the 6-yard box. Melissa Diceman was there amongst a crowd and fired it past NIU keeper Julia Lentz for the game-winner.
 
The 1-0 victory sets up a showdown for the top spot in the MAC West Division in Sunday's final scheduled regular season game against Eastern Michigan.
 
"As usual, it was another tough MAC battle," BSU head coach Josh Rife said. "We created a lot of chances and were close on several. At the end of the day we got one goal and that was all we needed. Defensively, we made enough plays to preserve the shutout. I'm proud of this group's grit and perseverance to compete for 90 minutes."
 
It was fitting that Diceman scored the winning goal for a couple reasons. First, she also scored the only two goals in BSU's first win over Northern Illinois last month in Muncie. Second, she had some of the better chances earlier in this game.
 
Lentz made quality saves on would-be goals from Diceman in both the 19th and 54th minutes, diving for the second stop to keep her team in the game. She made another impressive save on a laser from Sammi Corcoran in the 81st minute, just deflecting it over the crossbar.
 
But the Cardinals (5-2-1) kept attacking and finally found the goal they needed just three minutes later on Diceman's fifth shot (fourth on goal) of the day.
 
Ball State led 12-3 in shots and 10-3 in corner kicks. NIU (1-8-0) managed just one shot on goal, and Maitane Bravo was there to stop it on the way to the Cardinals' fourth shutout of the year.
 
Sunday's game with Eastern Michigan is set for 2 p.m. at the Briner Sports Complex on ESPN3. Ball State needs a win to claim the West Division title and a spot in the MAC Championship game. EMU (6-2-0) would earn the title with a win or a draw.
 
 
Western Michigan 2, Central Michigan 1
Box Score
 
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Senior midfielder Bailey Korhorn and junior forward Morgan Otteson scored two goals in the final 25 minutes to erase a 1-0 deficit as the Western Michigan women's soccer team defeated Central Michigan, 2-1, at the WMU Soccer Complex on Thursday afternoon.
 
After a scoreless first half CMU went ahead on a goal by Jaelyn Dobrowolski in the 69th minute, scoring during a scramble in front of the WMU net.
 
The lead didn't last long as Korhorn scored her fourth goal of the season in the 74th minute to tie it up at 1-1. The Broncos had a corner kick and Jenna Blackburn crossed it in to the near post and Korhorn worked her way through the crowd and headed it into the net. Blackburn tied Otteson for the team lead in assists on the goal after picking up her fourth of the season.
 
Otteson netted the game-winner in the 82nd minute. Korhorn played her the ball while she was at the top of the box. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native went past a CMU defender and slotted the ball into the lower-right corner of the net for her first goal of the season.
 
"Today was a gutsy game for our program," said head coach Sammy Boateng. "CMU is a good team that knows what they want to do and they find ways to get it done. We were able to compose ourselves in critical moments and execute at a high level."
                                                                                                                                                            
WMU was outshot 9-0 in the first half but flipped the stat in the second half, outshooting the Chippewas 8-4. Hannah Sargent made four saves in the win.
 
"Our back line did a great job of shifting and passing runners on," added Boateng. "Our midfielders were in the right positions at the right time in order to win and collect second balls. I thought our forwards did a phenomenal job of pressing and forcing mistakes."
 
Western Michigan heads to Toledo on Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Broncos need to win to stay alive in the hunt for the MAC West Division Title and a trip to the MAC Championship game.
 
 
Ohio 1, Kent State 0
Box Score
 
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio soccer team (3-6, 3-6 MAC) took a 1-0 victory over Kent State (2-6,2-6 MAC) on Thursday (April 8) afternoon at Chessa Field. 

The Bobcats grabbed the lead in he ninth minute when junior forward Abby Townsend (Powell, Ohio) sent a shot from behind the penalty box just under the crossbar and into the back of the net. The goal was Townsend's second of the season.

"We watched some film this week and we just talked about it, talked through it and looked at all the could things that (Townsend) has been doing and told her not to stay down on herself and just keep plugging  away," head coach Aaron Rodgers said. "She let it rip and what a good goal."

After Ohio took the lead, it was up to the defense to hold it. Despite consistent pressure from the Golden Flashes, junior goalkeeper Sam Wexell (Iwrin, Pa.) kept a clean sheet for the first time in her four starts this season. Kent State was able to take 13 shots, but only put three on goal as Wexell saved two of them an another was blocked by a defender. Kent State also led with six corner kicks, four of which came in the first half.

The rain started to pour early in the second half and the Bobcats flipped the field, creating much more offensive pressure than they had in the first half. Ohio took seven shots in the second half, as compared to just three in the first. The Bobcats also had two corner kicks.

"We battled, we worked hard," Rodgers said. "We definitely ground out a win, so I think that's going to help our confidence."
The game between Ohio and Kent State was very physical. Each team picked up a yellow card in the second half. Townsend picked up one in the 56th minute for Ohio, and Karly Hellstrom was given a card in the 77th minute.

The Bobcats kept possession away from the Golden Flashes for much of the final minutes of the second half to close out the game with a win.

Ohio will return to action for the season finale against Buffalo on Sunday (April 11) at Chessa Field. First touch is set for 1 p.m. and it will be Senior Day fo the Bobcats. 
 

Buffalo 3, Akron 2
Box Score
 
BUFFALO, N.Y. - A short-handed University of Akron women's soccer team battled one of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference down to the wire before Buffalo (5-1-1, 5-1-1 MAC) escaped with a 3-2 triumph over the Zips (2-5-1, 2-5-1 MAC) on Thursday, April 8 at UB Stadium.
 
"I'm very proud of the team and the effort they gave today," Akron head coach Noreen Herlihy commented. "Losing how we did was tough, but the players have showed a lot of character, especially when we had so many players out. Now we get ready to play Sunday."
 
The Bulls edged the Zips on the evening in shots, 19-6, with all six of Akron's attempts falling on frame. Freshman Annabel Thomas (Canonsburg, Pa.) led the Zips with a team-high two shots, while sophomore Lucia Lobato (Taylors Hills, Ireland), junior Carly Pcholinsky (South Park, Pa.), senior Ryley Watt (Irwin, Pa.) and junior Sydney Worthy (Groveport, Ohio) each recorded one shot apiece, all on goal. Marcy Barberic paced the offensive efforts for Buffalo with a game-high eight shots.
 
For the second consecutive contest, sophomore GK Vanessa Berlin (Gau-Oderheim, Germany) registered a career-best eight saves. Emily Kelly notched four stops for the Bulls.
 
Barberic gave Buffalo the early lead finding the back of the net with her seventh goal of the season at the 21:10 mark off assists from Hannah Callaghan and Leah Wengender.
 
The Zips netted the equalizer in the 35th minute (34:12) when Lobato headed home a ball off a corner kick from freshman Sarah Nguyen (Irwin, Pa.).
 
The two sides entered the intermission all square at one.
 
The Bulls regained the lead, 2-1, at the 61:49 mark on a goal from Kaitlyn Walsh with assists to Wengender and Callaghan.
 
Akron was whistled for a foul in the box in the 80th minute (79:45) that resulted in a successful penalty kick by Barberic.
 
Thomas cut the deficit to 3-2 at the 83:06 connecting on her first career goal. Adding assists on the tally were senior Annamarie Alfery (Cheswick, Pa.) and redshirt junior Charley Kale (Sylvania, Ohio).
 
Akron returns to action traveling to Oxford, Ohio, to battle Miami in a 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday, April 11 in the Zips' 2021 spring finale.